Soul Mates: Religion, Sex, Love & Marriage Among African Americans and Latinos

(www.soulmates-thebook.com)

Oxford University Press, 2016

W. Bradford Wilcox (University of Virginia)

Nicholas H. Wolfinger (University of Utah)

Soul Mates Good News about Faith and the Black Family

Soul Mates paints a largely positive portrait of African American family life in the
United States. Most African Americans will marry at some point in their lives, a clear
majority of them are coupled when they have children, and most black couples are happy
and monogamous. When it comes to “family values,” a clear majority of blacks value
marriage more than single living, and are also more likely than whites to oppose premarital
sex. Moreover, the vast majority abide by a code of decency that encompasses employment,
steering clear of drug use, and avoiding incarceration; this code furnishes a social and
economic context that is more likely to foster a strong family life. Taken together, these
findings suggest that black family life is in better shape than some critics have
suggested.
Moreover, strong black families are often fostered by religious faith, which serves as
a bulwark of personal, familial, and communal strength for many African Americans. Four
key facts about faith and black family life stand out:
1) 45% of African Americans aged 18 to 44 say they are a strong religious
believer, compared to 24% of Latinos and 34% of whites.
2) Churchgoing black men are significantly more likely to be gainfully
employed than black men who do not regularly attend church.
3) Regular church attendance boosts the odds of black marriage by more
than 46%.
4) Faith fosters happy marriages, as the figure below shows. Indeed, there is
virtually no racial/ethnic divide in happiness for Americans who attend
church together. Shared prayer and shared religious friends help to
explain why African American couples who attend together are happier.
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Figure 5.4. Relationship Quality by Race and Frequent Church

Attendance.
82%
80%
% of respondents happy in their
80% 79%
78%
78%
76%
relationship

74%
72% 71%
70%
70% 69%
68%
66%
64%
62%
White Black Latino
Neither partner attends church Both partners attend church

The Sobering News about Faith and the Black Family

Soul Mates also reveals some sobering news about African American families and
the role of faith vis a vis the black family. Among African Americans, nonmarital
childbearing, single parenthood, and divorce are high. Today, for instance, about 52 percent
of African American children live with a single parent, compared to 27 percent of Latino
children and 19 percent of white children. What accounts for the relative fragility of
African American families? Four key factors:
1) First, the nation’s poisonous legacy of slavery, segregation, and
discrimination plays an important role in accounting for racial fissures in
family life.
2) Second, the unraveling of America’s strong industrial economy, which
used to furnish stable, decent-paying jobs to blue-collar men, has since the
1970s resulted in fewer employment opportunities for low-skilled
workers. This has undercut the economic foundations of black family life.
3) Third, cultural factors, such as greater acceptance of single motherhood
and higher levels of infidelity among African American men, play a role in
accounting for the racial divide.
4) Finally, ill-conceived public policies—such as drug laws that have had a
disparate impact upon blacks, or means-tested programs that penalize
marriage among lower-income couples—have undercut black family life.

Soul Mates also finds that religious faith does not help black families as much
as it could in three areas:
1) Church attendance does not reduce the odds of divorce among African
Americans (it does among whites).
2) Churchgoing has less of an impact on rates of nonmarital sex among
African Americans (and Latinos) than it does among whites.
3) Churchgoing is less protective against nonmarital childbearing for African
Americans than it is for whites, as the figure below indicates.
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Soul Mates Good News about Faith and the Latino Family

Soul Mates paints a largely positive portrait of Latino family life in the United States.
Most Latinos will marry at some point in their lives, a clear majority of them are married
when they have children, most Latino couples are happy, and divorce rates are lower
among Latinos than the nation as a whole. When it comes to “family values,” a clear
majority of Latinos value marriage more than single living; indeed they more likely than
whites to say it’s “better to get married than to stay single.” Taken together, these findings
suggest that Latinos inject a family-centered lifestyle into the American experiment.
Moreover, strong Latino families are often fueled by religious faith, which serves as
a bulwark of personal, familial, and communal strength for many Latinos. Four key facts
about faith and Latino family life stand out:
5) 27% of Latinos aged 18 to 44 attend church regularly, compared to 33% of
blacks and 23% of whites.
6) Churchgoing Latino men are significantly less likely to drink to excess and
use drugs compared to Latino men who do not regularly attend church.
7) Regular church attendance boosts the odds of marriage for Latino men by
more than 60%.
8) Faith fosters happy marriages, as the figure below shows. Indeed,
churchgoing Latino couples are happiest. Shared prayer and shared
religious friends help to explain why Latino couples who attend together
are happier than their peers who do not attend, or attend together.
Figure 5.4. Relationship Quality by Race and Frequent Church
Attendance.
82%
80%
% of respondents happy in their

80% 79%
78%
78%
76%
relationship

74%
72% 71%
70%
70% 69%
68%
66%
64%
62%
White Black Latino
Neither partner attends church Both partners attend church
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The Sobering News about Faith and the Latino Family

Soul Mates also reveals some sobering news about Latino families and the role of
faith vis a vis the Latino family. Among Latinos, nonmarital childbearing, single parenthood,
and infidelity are higher than the national average. Today, for instance, about 55 percent of
Latino children are born outside of marriage, compared to 72 percent of black children and
29 percent of white children. What accounts for the fragility of Latino families on these
oucomes? Three key factors:

5) First, the stresses associated with immigration, discrimination against

immigrants, and navigating a new culture can be burdensome for couples
and families.
6) Second, Latinos are more likely than other Americans to experience
poverty. Poverty is also stressful for families, and reduces the odds that
couples get and stay married.
7) Third, distinctive cultural factors, such as a greater acceptance of
cohabitation and higher levels of infidelity among Latino men, put a strain
on Latino family life.

Soul Mates also finds that religious faith does not help Latino families as much
as it could in three areas:

4) Latino men do not attend church nearly as much as do Latina women, a

common challenge also for whites and African Americans.
5) Churchgoing has less of an impact on rates of nonmarital sex among
Latinos than it does among whites.
6) Churchgoing is less protective against nonmarital childbearing for Latinos
than it is for whites, as the figure below indicates.

Figure 3.11. The Reduction in the Odds of a Pr em arital Birth Associated w ith Frequent Church
Attendance, by Race and Sex.

70%

60%
60%

50% 46%
44% 44%
% lo w e r o d d s

40%

30%
23%
19%
20%

10%

0%
White Men White Women Black Men Black Women Latino Men Latino Women